Biopsy specimens of muscle fiber and other tissue have heretofore been obtained with a variety of clamping and/or cutting instruments. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,778,357 and 3,353,531 show instruments which, in effect, punch out and retain a tissue specimen. Instruments of that type are best suited for obtaining relatively small tissue specimens from body cavities, or the like, but are not suitable for histologic examination of muscle tissue.
Biopsy of muscle for histopathological evaluation requires that the tissue be clamped at the time of excision to prevent contraction which causes microscopic artifacts. To this end, biopsy instruments have heretofore been provided using various clamping techniques to fix muscle from which the pathologist can cut well oriented longitudinal and cross sections. However, none of the clamps of this type is wholly satisfactory for reasons of design or fabrication.
A commonly used biopsy clamp is known as the Rayport clamp and is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,687,131. The Rayport clamp comprises a hinged structure which requires the use of two hands and a separate hemostat clamp to achieve the required clamping action. The patented clamp is also somewhat cumbersome and difficult to apply in certain body areas because of its particular uni-planar design and laterally projecting handle. Another biopsy muscle clamp in common use is known as the Price clamp and comprises a stainless steel tweezers-like structure having forked ends for isolating and gripping the muscle tissue. The Price clamp is likewise disadvantageously uni-planar and also requires sterilization and re-use because of its relatively expensive construction.
There thus exists a need for a biopsy clamp which is simple and certain in its application, which requires only one hand for its use and which will grip the biopsy tissue firmly enough to prevent shortening disfiguring contraction. The instrument should be sized to fit into a standard specimen jar for convenience of handling. Preferably, the clamp should be disposable for cost-effectiveness and convenience, thereby eliminating the need for its return from the laboratory to the operating room.